Give your brain a workout with video games

Have you ever heard of a “brainiac”?

I have, but I don’t know where. I was wondering if I’d made up a word. But, no, I found hundreds of Brainiac sites on the Internet.

“Brainiac” is a good word – it sounds like a person who engages in mental exercises and brain workouts with a frenzy and a passion as well as a purpose. These folks could be called “dementia-phobes,” but “brainiac” is, well, more appealing, to say the least.

Seriously, being a brainiac is not so crazy – brains need pampering, too. We jump through hoops to keep our bodies exercised and well-fed, assuring health and vitality into our aging years. If we expect our minds to keep up with our bodies, they, too, need exercise.

Do we want gorgeous bodies but flabby old brains?

Not gonna happen!

Brain research is coming up with some stunning findings on ways to improve the brain’s cognitive functioning. One of the most outrageous claims for maximizing our brains comes from Brain Gym, which is a series of targeted physical activities that integrate body and mind.

These activities have been shown to improve concentration, memory, reading, organizing, etc. And the Brain Gym people say they can have a 67-year-old’s brain performing like that of a 20-year-old.

Well now, that is impressive. Where do I sign up?

(Brain Gym is the registered trademark of the Educational Kinesiology Foundation/Brain Gym International.)

We brainiacs certainly can stoke our fires with more fuel for brain improvement at any bookstore. Check out the glut of books popping up in these stores – it’s enough to put us into total frenzy. Such books claim we can train ourselves not only to remember but also to think like an Einstein.

Of course, as we’re sitting on our sofas reading, our behinds are turning to flab. It’s enough to make us a nervous wreck. So, how can we grow our brains without getting middle-age spread?

If reading is not your bag, go high-tech. Does it come as a surprise to you that video games have become the rage among the over-60 crowd?

According to the folks at a local electronics store, people in this age group are snapping up Nintendo games like it was Christmas – and they’re not buying these games for their kids. These folks are, all at once, amazed and delighted with the idea of buying toys that once were strictly the domain of their children and grandchildren – and then they’re actually playing them.

Obviously, the creators of Nintendo games were not dozing as this national obsession with brain improvement caught the fancy of aging baby boomers and started to gain momentum. These marketers are pretty good at spotting 900-pound gorillas walking through their stores.

Games for the Nintendo DS ($180) now include titles that suggest people can exercise their brains while being entertained. Irresistible!

Game prices for the Nintendo DS are $20 to $30, and take a look at these titles: “Brain Boost,” “Brain Age” and “Brain Academy.” There’s a game titled “Second Opinion – Trauma Center,” in which the player gets to perform virtual brain surgery. If the player does it wrong, the patient dies. (Sounds pretty gruesome – maybe this is not the best choice for the squeamish.)

Plus, these games usually include a variety of other puzzles and skill-development games.

What a novelty for our aging brains – and novelty is precisely what makes this stuff such dynamite for our brains.

Another extremely hot choice for us boomers and beyond is Nintendo’s WII Sports ($250), which includes virtual bowling, tennis and golf games that can be played in our own living rooms.

For this game, there’s a hand-held device about the size of a television remote – the controller – and the player uses it to play the game.

The bowling game, which has been featured on numerous TV programs, is understandably one of the favorites among this new set of mature video-game players.

These virtual games are being played in retirement communities as well as among many groups involved in brain fitness. The fellow with whom I spoke at the electronics store was very enthusiastic when he gushed, “Everybody just loves those games!”

Hey, it’s mental tennis! Maybe even we brainiacs would enjoy it.